Biz & IT —

Windows XP site fibs to Firefox users

Due to a problem with Microsoft's Windows XP website, Firefox users are being …

With support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) coming to an end on October 10, Microsoft has started warning SP1 users via its Windows XP website that now is the time to upgrade. The problem is that the site is incorrectly warning certain users that their system is outdated.

Although one would expect Microsoft to fix the problem soon, right now anyone who browses to the Windows XP site in Firefox receives a message stating, "Your computer is not up to date with the latest version of Windows XP. Upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) today to help keep your computer secure (it's free!). Below is what you need to know to upgrade." Internet Explorer users should not see the message unless they are truly running Windows XP SP1.

To tech savvy users, this may seem insignificant, but to the average Joe who wants to find out if his system needs to be upgraded, this could be rather confusing. Consider this a heads-up just in case you bump into a bewildered friend or family member who swears that he has SP2 installed but is being told differently.